Shallow Fate
by Cheria
Summary: Sweet and bitter destiny befalls all, whether they be fair or not.


Disclaimer: I do not own Valkyrie Profile nor any of its contents, Square Enix does.

Authoress' Notes: So... I decided to try out 100 series' Valkyrie Profile Challenge, consisting of ten prompts I have to fulfill to complete it. I chose to go along with this in fanfiction format, so here it'll begin. Each theme will have their own chapter, and they may not necessarily be in order (for example, I'm starting with the second prompt rather than the first), though they all will be completed in time with ten chapters for this collection of one-shots.

First up is "My Life as an Einherjar", starring none other than Lydia. And those who are considered to be more than acquaintances with her.

* * *

**2) My Life as an Einherjar**  
_Chapter one of ten - Acceptance_

Lydia glanced up at the gloomy sky, suppressing a sigh as she did so. It had all happened so suddenly, now that she looked back at the past. She had never seen in coming. Of course, she had often taken notice of his dislike towards her, despite having only attended to her daily routines. But then again, Lydia had never been one to notice such trivial hate.

Her step-brother must be laughing at her, even after death. _Me. The bastard princess. _

Sadly, she still did not understand how jealousy had turned into such ugly hate. She had been completely aware of his sneering and gossips in the days because of her "heritage", but never did she imagine that it would take a turn for the worse. Nevertheless, she had been murdered, and that all that mattered. Now, she was an einherjar - a fighter for the Choosers of the Slain. That was all she was now, someone fighting for a shrouded cause, one she had been given without option. Her story had taken an odd turn, twisting into an endless pit of oblivion.

At the beginning after her death, Lydia had been in utter confusion at the sight of a bright, pale woman clad in monotone armor. They were, all three of them, beautiful, but the strict expression they clung onto turned it into some odd sense of precious beauty. The archer had been in awe at such unique allure, especially increasing in some magnitude when one of the women's lovely voice struck the dull sky.

Lydia's impressions, however, were contorted when they revealed themselves to be Valkyries.

_Chooser of the Slain. Corpse Goddess._

Immediately, her admirations for the three maidens had drastically changed (not that she had even know there were three to begin with until much later - she merely lost her praises for the Valkyries in general). Certainly, Lydia had been a devout, religious follower. But that was before she had been mercilessly killed, where it seemed as if all her prayers had been tossed aside. She lost her faith in the Gods and Goddesses. She felt betrayed.

Cooperation did not come easily at first when she had been included in the fighting team. Because of her shattered faith, the archer had faced difficulties in concentrating during the battles. Consequently, she had been removed from action plenty of times due to her refusal to accept her so-called betrayal, which had been the biggest flaw in the girl's overall character. _Too stubborn._ However, her rage at the divine entities loitered, causing her very downfall and eternity in her cursed state.

In time, Lydia understood why her step-brother had turned his jealousy into hatred. She had felt the same desire, the overwhelming need to hate the spirit for allowing the archer to be turned into a fighter for eternity against her will. It was the same general situation, despite the differences in the cause.

Perhaps it had been because of her easily shaken faith that Lydia had winded in her unfortunate state.

* * *

Pushing unwanted thoughts away from her attention, Lydia concentrated on the present time. It was only recently since she was released, and the archer was grateful for it. Years of confined solitude proved to be worse than battling for eternity. Or at least she believed so. But maybe this time, her awakening would be different. After all, the supposedly third sister of the Corpse Goddesses was the one that freed her; Silmeria, the most merciful.

The confined Valkyrie seemed all right, Lydia reasoned. She, for one, wasn't the type to bark orders like another Valkyrie she knew of. In fact, Silmeria almost seemed to be pleading for the archer's aid, not demand her power. Yes, she would give this Valkyrie a well-deserved chance.

Gripping her bow in her slim hand, Lydia watched her surroundings, scanning for any signs of dangerous creatures and the like. Lydia did spot a few monsters huddled up in an unorganized mass, and immediately set to alarming her new companions. In hearing Lydia's calls, the monsters picked up her presence, and accustomed to barbarically charging.

_Ah, at last._ Drawing up her bow, the archer reached quickly and reflexively for her arrows. Her petite hands worked with profession and efficient speed, readying the weapon with smooth arm muscles as Lydia drew the object up, aiming. Her eyes landed on the closest opponent, an obnoxious monster running towards her like a raging bull, only a few yards away. She took a moment to aim again, and when she found herself satisfied with the range, she smiled slightly. And released the strained iron.

With a terrible cry, the creature fell to the uneven ground, under a seizure as its body trembled for the pain, before entirely succumbing to the darkness. Lightly congratulating herself for the achievement not met in a long time, Lydia drew another arrow, ready for the next reckless monster to approach. Almost disappointingly, the rest proved to be far less than difficult, falling one after another, whether it was by her arrows or not.

The sound of heavy footsteps caught her attention, and Lydia turned to the source of the trudges. A beast that resembled a prehistoric creature dangerously approached with great speed. Clicking her tongue, the archer strung her bow again, aiming with caution and utmost concentration. Blindly, the monster continued to charge, crying shrieks and howls that sounded much like a banshee. Lydia grimaced at the scream, refusing to have her concentration disrupted by it.

She never did see the flying monster come her way to the left.

"Look out!" Alicia's cry caught her attention, and the archer whipped around, only to register being knocked down to the stinging ground.

With the wind knocked out of her, Lydia panicked. The airborne beast swooped down to pierce her with its sharp beak, and the only thing she could do is stare with her mouth slightly agape. She was shocked to have been so easily defeated, and was therefore at a loss for actions. Wings straightened in a frightening position, the creature flew towards her with great speed. She only stared.

Murmurs reached her ears, and Lydia blinked as the flier exploded with columns of some sort of magic. The power faded away, and the creature fell to the ground as well, dead. She shuddered from the sight of a mangled beast corpse, until the continuous trudges caught her attention again. The prehistoric animal was charging, still, bent on finishing her off. Lydia attempted at getting up, though she lost her momentum from her awkward structure on the floor and fell again unceremoniously. She looked around quickly to notice that her weapon was - unfortunately - aside on the crisp ground a few feet away, totally out of her reach.

Her distraction would have been the end of her for that battle as well as sting on her pride, but Lydia never felt the second expected blow. She assumed she was rescued again, and turned her head to see the dinosaur-like creature struggling with an arrow perched forcefully in its forehead.

_It's a different savior this time._

A whizzing sound registered in Lydia's ears, and she realized that a well-aimed arrow just passed by her head. It continued flying, and scored another on the monster's head before a second burst of magic took place on its spot. Like the flier, the creature was dead before it even recovered from the first shot.

"Are you all right?" A feminine yet maternal voice encouraged her to turn, and she did.

Lydia found herself staring into the face of a woman whose strikingly resembled her own.

"... Yes. Thank you." She slightly bowed under influence of being a princess, as well as to show common courtesy.

Another presence alerted her, and Lydia lifted her head to see a hand offering her fallen bow. She slowly took it with both hands, keeping her posture crouched as a sign of a second thanks. Though, she did notice that the hand did not belong to the archer woman that had been concerned over her well-being. It looked more like a man's, if anything. And sure enough, when she dared to looked up entirely, she was glaring into a cloaked face of a male, his eyes covered beneath the shadows.

She felt warm and welcome. _Strange._

* * *

"Lydia."

Said archer's head rose, though she remained seated on the ground, "Yes?"

"I... wish to apologize." Lydia furrowed her thin brows in confusion.

"If I may ask, why?"

A moment of silence was shared, but the response finally came, "If I had not taken off without consent... If I had not denied my duty, you would not have suffered so."

_Yes, I, the would never have been assassinated and turned into an einherjar._

The former princess folded her hands on her lap, slowly, "Yes, but if you had not left, then I would not be here. I would be someone else, not who I am now. For that, I am grateful."

_I, the bastard princess, would never have come into existence either if it had been so._

The other seemed to be at a loss for words, though the petite lips soon found voice, "Thank you, Lydia."

_Do I still possess the grudge against my step-brother and fate?_

"No," Lydia waved her hand in disagreement, "thank _you_... Mother."

_Possibly._

A small smile touched Lylia's face, and she offered a hand, "Come, our break is over. Your father will be joining us in our fights."  
_  
Or perhaps... No, I do not. _

She reciprocated the expression, "Of course, Mother!" She followed her parent, where they joined Silmeria's battles with her father, Woltar.

_But most importantly, do I believe in my journey as an einherjar? My fate, my destiny, my afterlife...?_

And finally, Lydia accepted.

* * *

Authoress' Notes: The last segment of this piece was short-detailed on purpose, as to make it more conversational and to hide Lylia's identity until the end... which I'm sure you all guessed even before it was revealed because of all the huge hints dropped. Plus, it ended up sounding more like a decision in the end with all those thoughts. ... Yeah. Hope you enjoyed, hahah.


End file.
